By nellie freer



Dec. 8, 1931. J. FREI-:R

EXERCISING DEVIE FOR ANIMALS original Filed'sept. 7, 1929 Reissued Dec. 8, 1931 UNITED ySTATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES FREER, DECEASED, LATE OF WAYZATA, MINNESOTA, BY NELLIE FREE-R, OF Y `WAYZATA, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNEE jit) EXERGISYING DEVICE FOR ANIMALS I Original No. 1,794,951, dated March 3, 1931,(Seria1 No. 391,033, filed September 7, 1929. Application for i reissue ledApril 20, 1931.

zdred miles in a single day.

At the present time, a large number of socalled fur farms exist wherein. the captive animals, such as mink, foxes, raccoons, rabbits and other fur bearing animals are kept in small pens often only three orfour times the actual length of the animal. Under such conditions, itis usually impossible for the animal to get the requisite amount of exercise to maintain the proper condition of health. As a result, the 'fur and the pelts Vare greatl impaired andthe sex tendencies and .proli reduced. l I am, of course, familiar with the rotary `cness of the animals are greatly ltread-cylinders or wheels often mounted in .squirrel cages but extensive experiments have shown me that these are totally unsuited for y most fur bearing animals, such as mink, raccoon,foxes and other species. In most cases, furrbearing animals will notutilize a device constructed in the manner of a squirrel wheel, partially because the wheel is bulky and is supported at both ends and partially because the entrance is considerably obstructed by standards, spiders or other means and the animal cannot clearly see the interior and is timid about entering. Further, in such wheels, there is a shearing action between the Y spider or entrance end of the Wheel and the adjacent supports, which is .dangerous and makes the animals reluctant to use the device. Moreover, the old squirrel wheel is Abulky and is not adapted to behmounted in the small .pens extensively used at this time. y

Itisan object of my invention to provide a simple, eiiicient and sanitary exercising de- Seral No. 531,651. 1

vice for Wild animals in captivity whichV the animals will readily use and enjoy, thereby giving the healthful exercise whichvthel animal would normally get in natural state.

It is a further object to provide a simple, eiiicient'rotary exercising device for animals occupying little space, adapted to be readily installed in the pens now extensively used on fur farms and scientifically constructed to permit the animal to enter or leave'without danger. Y

Another obj ect is to-providea device of the class above described, which may be entirely supported from a single 4post or wall, which may be quickly and easily attached, and which will have the entire outer end opened and the interior exposed thereby immediately attracting the animal. I

Still another object is to providel an animal exercising device which kwill withstand longV continued usage without decreasing its efficiency and which 'will not requirelubrication or other care of an attendant to insure proper operation.

Another object is to provide a rotary device of the class described, adjustable friction mechanism, whereby the Vease by which the rotary tread member may be turned may be varied as desired according to the weight and other conditions of the particular animal for 'which intended.

These and other objects andv advantages of the inventionA will be fully set'forth Ain the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views and in which z- Fig. l is a front elevationfshowing my device in plan operatively mounted on a stand ardor frame member of an animal pen;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and

Fig. 3 is a detail cross section on a larger scale taken longitudinally through thehub `of the tread wheel.

The preferred embodiment of my inven- 1 tion, as illustrated, comprises a freely rotatable tread wheel having a rear, preferably sheet metal, disc t ofsuitable diameter according to the size of the animal for' which the device is intended.' Disc et has anioutturned flange 4a to which a relatively narrow tread cylinder 5 of substantially rigid wire netting is secured. The width of the tread portion cylinder 5 Vis slightly greater than the width of the animal for which it is intended. The outer end is entirely open and free from any cross pieces, spiders or other partial obstructions. f The' Vwheel is entirely supported from its rear end or face and to this end I provide a sleeve or hub 6, which may be threadedly or `otherwise secured to a socket plate 7 rigidly attached to the center of disc 4. As shown,

the central'portion of disc 4 is clamped between socket plate 7 and centrally apertured reinforcing disc 8 by means of small clamping bolts 9. y

l'Hub 6 is rotatably mounted on a horizontal stub shaft 10,:the inner or rearward endfof which is suitably and rigidly secured to a socket plate or bracket 11' adapted for rigid attachment to an upright post, lstandard or wall of a pen. f y

VVIt is desirable to provide eilicient'vbearings for `l1`ub6 which will withstand long "continued usage and which further will not require lubrication or attention. 'As shown, bearings of the ball type Pare employed at the outer and inner ends of hub 6, ball races 22 beingiitted intor machined internal port-ions at the respective ends of hub 6, the outer and inner ball races being spaced apart by means of a spacing sleeve 12, which telescopes over stub shaft 10.'v Shaft lprojects some distance beyond the outerend of hub 6, passing Vthrough a washer 13 vwhich closes the end of said sleeveand is preferably provided with a longitudinal fiat portionV 10a by which friction washers may be non-.rotatably secured to the projecting end of said shaft.

' A friction washer 14 having a central aperture vapproximately the shape of the flattened end of'shaft 10, is slipped on said shaft abutting the closed end of Vthe Wheel hub Y6 and also abutting the washer 13. A second Washer l5 is also mounted on the projecting end ofshaft 10, spaced some distance from friction washer 14, and a short coil spring 16 is interposed between washers 14 and 15. A wing nut' 17 engages the outer threaded extremity to place a pressure upon friction washer 14. Y,

Y `The numerals 18 and 19 in Figs. 1 and 2 indicate the top and bottom netting of a type of pen extensively used and one of the posts or upright frame members of the pen, to which the supporting bracket or socket plate llis secured, is indicated by the numeral 20.

To indicate the Vnumber of revolutions the tread wheel has traveled and consequently to Vindicate the mileage covered by the animal using the device, I provide a cyclometer 21, which may be attached tothe post 20 orto a wall of the pen adjacent the inner surface of disc 4, which vcylometer has the usual star The operation and advantages of my im? proved exercising device, While perhaps obvious from the foregoing description, may be briefly described as follows The outer end of the tread wheel is open and free from obstruction and the animal can easily see the entire interior of the device. 'llhe animal will, therefore, have n0 hesitancy in entering the tread cylinder and in vactual practice I have found thatfur bear:- ing animals, such. as mink,'will enter and utilize the wheel within a few minutes after a device has been installed in their pens. The animalsat once discover that the wheel will rotate and tread the wheel, usually V'running onthe tread portion, thereby Vengaging in relaXation and amusement as well as obtaining the requisite exercise. j

Since the wheel is entirely supported from its rear side no cross pieces, spider frames or standards arenecessary atthe front or entrance side of the wheel and there-is, therefore, no shearing action between parts of the Wheel and the standard to constitute a menrimal or the use of the wheel.

' If the wheel isV to be utilized a relap tively'heavy animal the friction mechanism is usually set to cause the Wheel to tend to turn lesseasily, thereby furnishing an adjust-able device which may be properly regulated as'ther young animals gain in weight and which may be utilized foranimals of various species. The rhub and its elicient pivotal mounting aordsV alconstruction which will withstand long continuous usage I y i without impairment of the eiiciency Vof the device and without requiring lubricationor attention to insure perfect operation. of shaft 10 and is adapted through spring 16 Vpens where the exercising device has not been provided.

TheY cylindrical nettingconstituting the trmd cylinder affords a good grip or traction for the animals in addition to providing the reruisitesanitation and lightness of matek ria It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, de-

tails, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of applicants invention.

What is claimed is 1 1. In an exercising device for animals, an f annular tread member having an open entrance end, a member secured across the opposite end of said tread member, a hub secured to said last mentioned member concentrically of said tread member, said hub projecting Within said tread member and having an end conveniently accessible from the open end of said tread member, a pivot member on which said hub is loosely mounted,

means for supporting said pivot member from the rear of said tread member, a friction Washer mounted on the forward end of said pivot member and adapted to engage the forward end of said hub member, and

means for yieldingly applying pressure against said friction member.

2. An exercising device for animals comprising an annular tread member having one unobstructed open end, the opening in which is as large in internal diameter as the largest Y internal diameter of any part of said tread A member, a closure applied to the other end of said tread member, and supporting means at the last mentioned end of said tread member f and on which said closure isv rotatably 'A mounted for rotatably supporting said tread member only at its end opposite its unobl structed end.

In testimony whereof I aiix m signature.V

NELLIE F ER,

Assignee of J ames Freer, Deceased. 

